8.16.2012

7 Tips on Giving New Life to Old Posts via Pinterest

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Angel Peterson, owner of FleeceFun.com.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but with Pinterest it’s also worth thousands of dollars in revenue.   A good picture that is re-pinned over and over can put a small business or website on the map, raise sales and ad profits.  Clean pictures and graphics are now crucial to take advantage of the wealth of traffic Pinterest has to offer.   Pinterest however, is about pretty pictures – not new content.  You can take old posts and breathe new life into them by introducing new graphics or updated pictures to appeal to Pinterest users.
When I first started blogging I was more concerned about churning out content, and less concerned about the picture quality that came with it.  After researching other successful blogs in my field I discovered that I needed nice beauty shots to accompany my posts to catch a reader’s eye.  I’ve since gone back to those early posts and taken new pictures of items.  To my surprise revamping old content has brought new traffic to my site thanks to Pinterest.  Through trial and error here’s what I’ve discovered to increase visitors.

Reuse:
1. Every post should be pinnable.
Every post on your blog should have a gx or picture that can be pinned on Pinterest.  The graphic or picture doesn’t need to be complicated.  Simple is better.  Start with your best posts and add in Pinfographics, or pictures related to the topic.  While you’re editing the post be sure to add a ”pin it!” button below your new graphic.
2. Make Your Content up to par.
Take a cold hard look at your previous posts, web pages and pictures.  Are they up to your Pinterest standards?  Are they well lit?  Do they effectively portray what you are selling/teaching/writing?  Are they esthetically pleasing? Is the look consistent with your brand?
If you come across few (or several) posts that don’t meet the above criteria it’s time to swap out the picture/graphic for more effective ones that will appeal to your Pinterest audience.

Bad and good photo options

Reshoot:
3. Change Your Perspective.
Shoot items from several angles.  Shoot up close, shoot far away.  Give your audience a new perspective on an old item.  Be sure to take several shots orientated in portrait – this format appears better on Pinterest.
4. Solidify your Brand.
Make sure to keep a consistent look for your pictures.  An easy way to keep pictures looking like they belong in the same family is to use the same set up every time.  Same backdrop, same lens, and same lighting are a sure fire way to keep a look consistent.
With graphics, keep fonts and image styles the same. And always, always watermark or add a logo to your pin elements.
5. Take your photos up a notch.
Get more dramatic with your photos.  Use live models instead of lifeless mannequins. Don’t rush to grab a shot, plan out photo shoots and take your time.
If you are adding pinfographics and aren’t a wiz with Adobe Illustrator, purchase professional royalty-free stock graphics.  A little investment now will pay out later.
Repin:
6. Re-submit your content to your usual sources.
If you have places that you regularly submit to try reintroducing the post to them.  Have a “review” article once a week that points to a previous post that you’ve just revamped.  Gently nudge people with “you may also like” suggestions on your blog.
7. Send your efforts out into the void.
Once you’ve spent all that time reshaping your website it’s time to show off your hard work.  Don’t sit there like a wallflower – pin it!  Send your hard work out into the universe and see what happens.  Don’t send it all out at once.  Stagger it.  Let it trickle out and soon you’ll find those oh-so-wanted pins and re-pins popping up on your Pinterest source page.

No comments:

Post a Comment